UPPER MERION — Winter break for students ended on Wednesday and those returning to the Upper Merion Area School District will notice a more visible police presence in the schools as the district has partnered with local law enforcement to patrol the schools.

Under the new program, officers from the Upper Merion and Bridgeport police departments will randomly patrol schools and the department will also be provided with a key card, which can be used to access any school in the district.

“After each school shooting that comes about nationally, we certainly take a look at our preparedness,” explained Police Chief Thomas Nolan. “Traditionally, we have had officers outside of the schools and in the parking lots but we decided it was time to put officers doing foot patrol in the schools.”

The idea for an increased police presence in the district was first devised at a special committee consisting of school officials and first responders met only days after 20-year-old Adam Lanza broke into Sandy Hook Elementary School and killed 26 people before killing himself.

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“We met with them on the Monday following Connecticut to debrief about what happened and to talk about what other (safety) steps we could take,” explained Superintendent Jane Callaghan. “At that point, Chief Nolan suggested that we have a great police presence (in the schools).”

According to Callaghan, Nolan explained at the meeting that an increased police presence in the district would serve to both let the community know that the safety of the students is the top priority for the district and to “deter” any person that may consider attacking a school.

Officers will be present in the district on a daily basis, although the visits will be done randomly in order to ensure that the possibility of officers arriving at a school will always be present. Additionally, because the department was given key cards to enter the buildings, officers will not need to be let into the buildings for their patrols, according to Nolan.

Prior to the initiation of foot patrols, the Upper Merion Area School District had some police presence in its buildings, although it was not nearly as extensive as the new plan.

“We have already had a presence through the D.A.R.E (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program and have had officers come in to speak to classes and give presentations,” Callaghan said.

Although no timetable was set for how long the program will last, Callaghan believes that the Upper Merion Police Department “intend to do this from here on out.”

While the Upper Merion Area School District has increased the police presence throughout the district in an attempt to increase safety in the wake of the Newtown tragedy, other local districts have also reviewed safety measures and other policies relating to student safety.

“The Colonial School District has close working relationships with all of our local police departments,” Dave Sherman, the community relations coordinator for the district, explained in an email. “The police have had access to our buildings via electronic key fobs or hard keys for a number of years. Each department also has blueprints to our buildings within their jurisdiction.”

According to Sherman, police have also conducted emergency drills at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School and are also involved in the lockdown drills at every school in the district in order to ensure the highest level of effectiveness.

Schools in the Methacton School District will also continue to have officers at the school, as the district continues to enact safety measures, which has been a focus of the district “for the past several years,” according to Superintendent Timothy Quinn.

“We have an excellent relationship with the Lower Providence Police Department and they are very visible and active,” Quinn said. “We have two full-time officers assigned at our buildings.”

In the wake of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Methacton schools also had “an increased presence of officers for several days,” according to Quinn.

The Norristown Area School District has armed school resource officers at the high school as well as all three middle schools. The school resource officers program is funded by a federal grant and has a goal of increasing safety levels in the schools.

“Given the enormous challenges confronted by the school district in addressing the diverse needs of its student population, the Safe School/Healthy Students Initiative served as a critical catalyst for positive chance as full implementation progressed starting in January 2009,” Nan Odenthal, the grants and public relations manager, explained in an email. “By functioning as advisors, role models, and mentors, the officers (are) able to establish a supportive role beyond merely fulfilling a law enforcement presence in the school settings.”

In the wake of the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., increased school security has become a major priority for schools around the country and local districts have tirelessly worked to ensure that students are safe from the moment the doors open until the moment the doors close.